


The Fall of The First Years | Round Three

by MusicallyActive



Series: Taiyuu OCT One-Shots [5]
Category: Original Work, 僕のヒーローアカデミア | Boku no Hero Academia | My Hero Academia
Genre: All of Taiyuu year one's classes are in here, CW shrapnel injuries & panic attacks, F/M, Other, bombs go off but once again, but i tagged the students with the most impact to the story!, low-key sad ending sorry yall asdfghjkl, no detail, parental wolfsboon, quirk discrimination, theres blood and injuries but its not discussed in detail
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-08
Updated: 2020-08-08
Packaged: 2021-03-06 01:42:14
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 10,774
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25775311
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MusicallyActive/pseuds/MusicallyActive
Summary: "What's going on?" Asked Yuu, nervously fluttering at Yasashii's side. "Is this another part of the exercize?"Yasashii pressed their hand against their side, gritting their teeth together in an effort to not voice their pain. "Wolfsboon sensei never said anything about a second exercise." They paused, scanning the building filled cityscape worriedly. Taiyuu was a heroics school, and everyone knew heroics teachers liked to pull the rug from under their students' feet, but Yasashii knew the tone of Buckskin's voice like the back of their hand. Something was wrong.
Relationships: Gakusa Oh (OC) & Ogura Svetlana (OC), Seishin Tamashi (OC) / Tokachi Ameko (OC) (unrequited), Senshi Yasashii (OC) & Kuzu Onoma | Wolfsboon, Senshi Yasashii (OC) & Ogura Svetlana (OC), Senshi Yasashii (OC) & Senshi Kochona (OC), Senshi Yasashii (OC) / Tamashi Seishin (OC)
Series: Taiyuu OCT One-Shots [5]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1636687
Comments: 5
Kudos: 4





	The Fall of The First Years | Round Three

**Author's Note:**

> Yall I spent HOURS on this work, I am absolutely begging yall for feedback asdfghjkl :') so much effort was put into this piece oh gosh.
> 
> | PLEASE READ THE TAGS FOR CONTENT WARNINGS |
> 
> And now to tag each OC and their creators :') if I miss you please send a comment and I will correct the mistake!
> 
> Senshi Yasashii: Me  
> Senshi Kochona: Me  
> Tamashi Seishin: Scout  
> Gakusa Oh: Axel  
> Ogura Svetlana: Eris  
> Takakutou Shakou: Sappho  
> Ozen Fujinuma: Scream  
> Kuzu Onoma | Wolfsboon: Ham  
> Tokachi Ameko: Bai  
> Ogura Svetlana: Eris  
> Kazumi Shunsuke | Buckskin: Kai  
> Keikeishi Daiya | Unbreakable: Kai  
> Chikyu Tane | Lackadaisy: Ham  
> Kemuri Moya: Pink  
> Hiyasu Shimokizu: Syd  
> Spellman Lyrimon: Moon  
> Koatsu Arakan: Marc  
> Grigori Vai: Tori
> 
> Please let me know if I've missed you in the credits! I hope yall enjoy!

When the alarms sounded Yasashii nearly jumped out of their skin.

The exercise was over, they knew this in the way the gong had gone off when Yasashii nearly collapsed across the finish line with Yuu right at their heels. They knew this in the way that the glowing blue orb sat innocently inside their fanny pack. They knew this in the clear and precise instructions Wolfsboon-sensei had given them before the exercise had even begun.

Which is why Yasashii felt a cold pebble of dread fill their stomach when they heard the shrill call of their teachers over the announcement speakers spread out across each arena.

"All students, please evacuate to the train station immediately." Said Buckskin's calm voice, echoing across their arena. "Follow your teachers' instructions. This is not a drill." 

Yasashii immediately shot up from their collapsed position on the grass, weary of their teacher's tone, only to almost double over again in pain. Right. They were still injured. 

"What's going on?" Asked Yuu, nervously fluttering at Yasashii's side. "Is this another part of the exercize?"

Yasashii pressed their hand against their side, gritting their teeth together in an effort to not voice their pain. "Wolfsboon sensei never said anything about a second exercise." They paused, scanning the building filled cityscape worriedly. Taiyuu was a heroics school, and everyone knew heroics teachers liked to pull the rug from under their students' feet, but Yasashii knew the tone of Buckskin's voice like the back of their hand. Something was wrong.

A crack echoed across the arena, followed by a building crumpling to the ground far across the opposing side of the complex. Something told Yasashii that that wasn't Takakutou again. 

Yasashii stumbled to their feet, their overworked legs screaming in protest. "You heard the announcement." They said, their tongue feeling like sandpaper in their mouth. "We've got to head to the train station with all the other students. At worst, someone infiltrated the school." They swallowed nervously, eyeing the destroyed building in the distance. "At best, the teachers are testing us."

  
  


The last exercise took a toll on them, that much Yasashii knew. They jumped out a window, twice, and though it may have been necessary at the time, it didn't mean that it went without consequences. The glass embedded in their side told them that much. Actually… was it really glass? Glass didn't usually stick to skin the way the material in their wound did. Maybe it was a thin sheet of metal, acting as a window? Either way… it was painful, incredibly so.

Yasashii removed their hand gently, wincing when it came back with blood and small pieces of shrapnel that they gently plucked onto the grass. Running with shrapnel in their side… was not ideal, and could possibly lead to long term side-effects. But they didn't have much of a choice.

In the distance, two figures emerged from the destroyed building. They didn't look familiar.

"Run." Yasashii said, voice crackling. They turned to Yuu urgently, gently grabbing one of her arms and tugging her towards the direction of the tunnels. "Now, c'mon!" Their side burned, like little nettles were digging into their stomach.

Yuu's wings fluttered once, but she seemed to disregard them in favor of turning around and sprinting towards the tunnels' entrance.

Yasashii ran, their legs aching with every step. They placed their hand back on their wound, ignoring the vague sensation of dread gnawing inside their stomach.

Logically, Yasashii knew their wound was serious. They rolled around in broken shards of a glass like material, which crept inside their shirt and got embedded into their sides. Glass wounds were dangerous, delicate shrapnel like shards coating Yasashii's skin that could possibly lead to infection, but they had no time to slow down or stop. 

Besides, they could barely feel the wound aside from a sharp stinging sensation in their side. Maybe it wasn't as bad as they thought.

  
  


"Senshi, Yuu-chan!" Called Ozen, who quickly gained speed to catch up with them. Yasashii felt relieved, seeing another classmate so soon. 

"Ozen!" They said between breaths. "Thank goodness." Yasashii felt their legs wobble, and quickly caught themself before they could fall. Their side stung, but they pushed the thought of it to the back of their mind.

"Wait, wasn't Takakutou with you?" They gasped, remembering how their classmate viewed everything and anything as a challenge. "She didn't."

Ozen nodded solemnly. "She did. I was going to go after her, but Gargoyle Girl seemed to have it covered."

  
  


Yasashii nodded, relieved that their classmate was safe, though much too out of breath to express it. Their legs _burned._

Yasashii had been running and jumping a lot within the last hour alone, and it was starting to take a toll on their body and stamina. Their chest ached, but the adrenaline coursing through their veins kept them running, kept them breathing, through the aching numbness rolling over their body in waves.

"Senshi, you're bleeding." Ozen said, gently touching Yasashii's shoulder. "Let me carry you the rest of the way."

"I can make it." They replied shortly, knowing that if they stop now they might collapse where they stood. "It's not much farther."

Ozen looked doubtful, but didn't argue with them.

Yasashii pressed their hand against their side a little harder. Their palm stung with the sharp spikes of shrapnel.

After what felt like hours of pained running, the trio finally burst past the last buildings' edge and into the dusty clearing next to the train station. 

"S-Senshi!" Yelped Hiyasu, worriedly making her way to Yasashii's side. "Y-You're hurt!" She paused, looking at their stained hoodie in concern. "Would you be willing for me to help you? I know first aid! Or um, basic first aid at least."

Yasashii held up their free hand, panting for breath. "S-Sorry, Hiyasu." They wheezed. "Give me… just a moment of rest first."

"How are the others?" Ozen asked bluntly, observing the students who had already arrived with a keen eye. "Are there any major injuries? Do we know what happened?"

"W-Well," Hiyasu began, slightly flustered at Ozen's appearance. "Koatsu is healing the worst of everyone's injuries, though he can't handle too many at once- especially since he had an- um, incident, with his legs." 

Hiyasu blinked, getting serious. "T-Tsuki reportedly has a broken arm, which Hiraku is currently setting in a sling. Kemuri has a dislocated jaw, which Koatsu is taking care of now. Tokei has something wrong with their vision- and there are a few others, but most have minor injuries and fatigue."

"Ah." Yasashii replied, feeling lightheaded. "I think we have a problem."

Hiyasu turned towards Yasashii, confused, only to hold back a wince at a glance at their side.

Whatever the windows were made of, it definitely wasn't glass. Which really, is a poor design choice considering that they go to a hero school and most of their classmates would one-hundred percent take up any chance offered to them to break open a window. And yet, there Yasashii was, thin, sharp pieces of shrapnel engraved into their side, with their hoodie slowly becoming bloodied. 

The wound was obviously a bigger problem than they had thought it was, and quite honestly, Yasashii was probably very lucky that the pain hadn't fully hit them yet. It was definitely going to require stitches from a medical professional. Stitches that would cost money to apply- money that Yasashii didn't have.

Okay so maybe they were panicking a _little_.

  
  


"Have you put pressure on the wound yet?" Hiyasu asked nervously, quickly reaching for the roll of bandages in her med kit. 

"Uh, yeah." Yasashii replied, dazed. They should probably… drink water? That's what someone is supposed to do when they feel lightheaded, right? "I put pressure on it as I ran." 

"G-Good." She replied, opening a bandage roll with shaking fingers. "Ah um, Senshi, would you mind if I dress your wounds? I'll have to touch your chest, and it might hurt."

Yasashii shook their head. "I don't mind."

"I'm going to get a teacher." Ozen announced sharply, making a move towards one of the adults scattered across the group. 

Yasashii frowned, quiet disbelief written on their face. "Would getting a teacher really help?" 

Ozen paused, raising an eyebrow. "You need professional medical attention. Medical attention that I'm sure Shimokizu can't fully provide by herself, since she only knows basic first aid. An adult could get you the treatment you need, and faster." She nodded once at Hiyasu, and continued walking. Yasashii didn't stop her.

Teachers had never cared before, when Yasashii was in middle school and the other kids had gotten careless with their quirks. Yasaahii couldn't understand why Taiyuu would be any different. They had gotten hurt in a heroics exercise, it was their own fault for gaining the injury in the first place. Expecting their teachers to be lenient on them would be unreasonable, if not for their… current circumstance.

"This was a villain attack, wasn't it." They asked softly, once Ozen had disappeared in the crowd of students. They shivered at the touch of Hiyashu's cold fingers gracing their side.

"T-That's what we think, yeah." She replied, deftly wrapping the bandages around Yasashii's torso. They winced, gasping in pain at the shift in pressure. "S-Sorry. The teachers won't tell us much about what happened. One minute everyone was ending their rounds, the next-"

"The building collapsed." Yasashii finished, nodding along. 

Hiyasu tightened the bandage layer. "I-I heard that um, Takakutou, collapsed a building?"

Yasashii shook their head. "No- well, I mean, yes she did do that. But um, right after the announcement was made to run to the train station, there was a building that collapsed in my arena. I thought it might've been Takakutou again at first- but I couldn't recognize the silhouettes from so far away."

Hiyasu looked at Yasashii in surprise. "Y-You think you saw the villains?"

They winced in pain, but quickly masked their expression, trying to avoid drawing attention to the adrenaline fading out of their system. "M-Maybe. Yuu and I ran towards the train station before we could know for sure. We met up with Ozen on the way"

"Yashii!!" 

Yasashii jumped, quickly turning to their right where they could distantly spot Tamashi floating towards them with his book bag in hand.

"Timtam!" They exclaimed, relief pouring into their voice. "You're alright!"

"And you aren't!" Tamashi gasped worriedly upon seeing the bandages wrapped around Yasashii's torso. "W-What happened? Are you okay? Can I help?" He turned towards Hiyasu worriedly. "Is there anything I can do?"

"S-Senshi will be alright." Hiyasu replied, looking like she was trying to convince herself of her own words. "T-They just need some treatment from a medical professional and they'll be okay. I-I bandaged their wounds as best I could with what I have on hand but… they're going to need stitches at least."

"I can't cover the cost of another medical bill." Yasashii mumbled, feeling faint at the thought. They already worked an odd schedule as it was, and with school in the way of most peak business hours they were often forced to take odd jobs around town. There was barely enough time for Yasashii to relax with their current schedule, much less with an added Saturday night shift.

Tamashi squeezed Yasashii's hand softly. "W-We'll figure something out." He replied, casting a nervous glance at their discarded hoodie. "Yashii, how much blood did you lose? You really shouldn't be standing."

They frowned, trying to remember what consisted of dangerous levels of blood loss. "Uh, I lost… a little? It wasn't a heavy stream of blood or anything, and I put pressure on it, I swear!" 

"B-But your hoodie looks shredded." Tamashi replied, looking at the blood marks in concern. "There's no way you should be walking."

"He's right." Wolfsboon interrupted, striding towards the small group with Ozen at his heels. "You won't be walking, not with that injury. Instead, you'll be riding on Lumin." 

Yasashii startled, trying not to wince at the sudden movement of their sides. "But I can walk?" They stared at their teacher incomprehensibly. They had given themself this injury by taking a calculated risk in a heroics exercise provided by the school. Wolfsboon shouldn't be insisting on them taking it easy unless he didn't believe Yasashii could handle it- but they _could_ handle it. They proved they could handle this sort of thing when they passed the entrance exam, so why…

Wolfsboon knelt down to Yasashii's level and gently ruffled their hair. "Just because you _can_ do something, doesn't mean you should have to. Lumin would be providing a ride for any student who got as injured as you have, it's not just a special case, okay kid?"

Yasashii nodded, not trusting their voice. 

Why was Wolfsboon being so _kind?_

  
  


Kuzu sensei huffed, glancing at the bandages wrapped around Yasashii's torso in concern, before he deftly picked a flower from his hair and placed it on the Japanese Maple to Yasashii's left.

Immediately, Kuzu's veins began to glow a bright white, which quickly spread through his arm onto the tree beside him. The maple grew as it glowed, a mix of leaves and branches and vines as it shifted in size. The tree grew smaller in some parts, and larger in others, until finally, a Japanese Maple Lumin stared up at Kuzu, his tail made of branches wagging softly behind him.

Kuzu huffed, and pat Lumin on his head. "Lumin will carry you until we reach the other side of the tunnels. If there's any trouble with your injury, you should let me or another teacher know before it gets any worse."

Yasashii nodded, staring at Lumin in awe. This was the first time they'd ever seen Kuzu-sensei's quirk in action before. They'd seen Lumin on campus multiple times, of course, but they'd never seen Kuzu-sensei make Lumin from a tree before. Usually Lumin was made of various smaller plants, never one so...big.

"Lumin, horse ride." Lumin let out a quiet boof, apparently understanding the role Kuzu had given to him, and moved to lay down on the dusty clearing, staring at Yasashii expectantly. 

Yasashii blinked, unsure of what to do. Lumin was _huge,_ much bigger than any of his previous forms they'd seen so far. But… what if they accidentally hurt him when they moved to sit down? No, that was silly, Yasashii knew that Kuzu-sensei wouldn't offer Lumin to carry them if he thought Lumin wouldn't be able to handle it. 

Still… Yasashii didn't want to hurt him, even if he was made of a maple tree.

"W-Would you like me to help you onto Lumin, Yashii?" Tamashi asked timidly after noticing Yasashii's hesitation. "I can hold your hoodie for you as you get on."

"A-And I can keep you steady, in case you fall." Hiyasu added, determination shining in her eyes.

"Thank you." Yasashii said, swallowing a lump in their throat. "I-I think I can get on myself, but thank you for offering." 

It was a nice change of pace, having friends like these.

  
  


"Students!" Echoed Buckskin's voice from the tunnel's entrance. "This is a long walk, and we need to get moving _now!_ Stay away from the train tracks, and if anyone is injured you must tell a teacher immediately!"

Kuzu-sensei tensed, and stood to his full height. "You kids should get to the tunnels. We have a long walk ahead of us."

Yasashii nodded, gently stepping over Lumin's side so they could get secured onto his back. 

Carefully, they gripped Lumin's tree trunk scruff with their bruised hands. Lumin barked, tail wagging happily behind him as he stood up. Yasashii wobbled, nearly toppling over if it weren't for Hiyasu who quickly grabbed hold of their arm.

"Thanks." Yasashii breathed, trying not to wince at the feeling of shrapnel shifting in their sides. 

"Here's your hoodie Yashii." Tamashi said, lifting Yasashii's torn hoodie into their lap. Yasashii took it, rubbing at the bloodstained patches with their hands. It would take a lot of work to fix it again.

"C'mon, w-we've got to go to the tunnels with everyone else." Hiyasu replied, ushering them forward. "W-Who knows what the villains might do if they catch us."

Lumin boofed in agreement, gently stepping forward and moving the group along, past Aurora-sensei and Takakutou- who were talking in hushed voices by the tunnel's entrance. Takakutou looked pale, her hands shaking in fists by her sides. 

  
  


It occurred to Yasashii, as they passed several students treating their injuries before heading inside the darkened tunnels, that they could've died today.

They swallowed nervously, placing one hand gently on their injured side and trying to push the thought out of their mind. 

It was going to be a long walk.

  
  
  


The tunnels were dark, very _very_ dark, with only the sounds of shuffling feet and pained breathing to keep them company. Several students, and some staff, were lucky in that their Quirk mutations allowed them to glow faintly in the darkness. 

Gakusa had three flashlights in his bag that he passed out among a few students, and Sherif sent out disks of light with her quirk to the tunnel's roof immediately in front of and behind the main cluster of students. However, regardless of the light provided from Sherif's quirk, most of the tunnel remained darkened. A black abyss both in front of and behind them, leaving the students and staff had no choice but to press forward.

  
  


Yasashii squinted through the darkness, leaning more heavily on Lumin as they tried to make out the shapes of their classmates in front of them. They were very lucky that Lumin glowed the same shade of white that Kuzu-sensei's quirk provided, otherwise they would've been in near complete darkness for the entire duration of the walk. Their Quirkless genes really weren't giving them any breaks today.

  
  


"H-How far do you think t-these tunnels go?" Tamashi asked nervously, the soft glow of his body illuminating the wall of the tunnel beside him. 

"Buckskin-sensei said that it'll take at least eight hours to get to the other side." Yasashii replied quietly, painfully aware of the tense silence surrounding the students that they were breaking by talking. "It must be at least twenty miles long if it'll take us that long to get there."

Lumin padded forward, happily trotting by Tamashi's side to keep Yasashii close to their friend. Tamashi hummed nervously.

"E-Eight hours i-is a long time to walk. Are you sure your injury will be okay for that long?" He asked, shooting a worried glance at Yasashii's side.

They frowned, gently placing their hand against their wound. "I think so. As long as I don't jostle it or make it worse somehow, there's not much else I can do." 

Ever since they'd gotten it treated by Hiyasu, their pain level had slowly begun increasing as their adrenaline finally flooded out of their system. They'd lost a lot of blood already, and in a small amount of time as well; if they weren't careful and jostled the shrapnel accidentally, they could bleed through their bandages and pass out before they got medical aid.

Yasashii swallowed past the dry lump in their throat. They'd never gotten this injured before, and they had _definitely_ never encountered any glass injuries that were this dangerous. Was there a risk of infection if they didn't get it treated fast enough? Yasashii didn't know for sure, but knowing their luck the answer was probably yes. The bills for the bandages alone would be so expensive...

They shook their head, trying to clear their frantic thought process before the cost of their medical bills could remind them just how low on medical funds they really were.

"How did your fight go?" Yasashii asked softly, looking for a distraction. Tamashi fidgeted with the friendship bracelet in his hands and hummed.

"W-Well," He started, looking towards the front of the tunnels where Tokachi was walking with Gakusa. "I-I was up against T-Tokachi. She set up r-radios with all of 1-A!"

Yasashii nodded thoughtfully, only to realize that Tamashi probably couldn't see the motion in the darkness of the tunnel. "Now that you mention it, I do remember seeing Yuu with an earpiece." They paused, turning towards Hiyasu who walked softly by Lumin's left. "Hiyasu, you have a radio as well, right? Connecting your whole class together like that was a brilliant strategy." 

Hiyasu spluttered. "Ah! I-It was Tokachi's idea to get the radios. S-Spellman and Tsuki g-gave everyone code-names and everything."

Yasashii smiled. "Code-names? What was yours?"

"I-I" Hiyasu paused, moving her head to glance at Tokachi who was walking at the front of the group. "I'm not sure i-if I'm allowed to tell you. S-sorry!"

Tamashi nodded understandingly. "T-That's alright Hiyasu. Y-You don't have to tell us if you d-don't want to."

"They are called code-names for a reason." Yasashii replied, absentmindedly running their fingers through the maple-leaves covering Lumin's head.

"S-Senshi how was y-your fight?" Hiyasu asked softly, gently petting Lumin's trunk-like sides. "I-I heard that T-Takakutou took down a building. S-She was near your a-arena wasn't she?"

Yasashii huffed a weak laugh. "You don't even know the half of it."

  
  
  
  


Several minutes worth of soft conversation go by quietly, the steady pattering of feet slowly taking over the small group's conversation.

Many students were injured, and though most of their injuries were minor, there were several students quite obviously pushing themselves to their limits.

Kuzu-sensei had created three Lumin in total, each the size of a small horse. Yasashii was riding one of them, with Koatsu on another due to Quirk-exhaustion sapping away at his strength. The third Lumin padded along softly in the group's center, simply happy to give out a soft glow for the students without lights.

  
  


Yasashii was...worried, to say the least. The tunnel was far too dark to see the individual features of their classmates, but from silhouette alone they could tell that many were suffering from their injuries or emotional repercussions from dealing with the kind of people who attacked their school.

Takakutou was one of them, having since mostly caught up with the main group. Though she appeared to be slowly regaining her usual biting spirit.

"Typical of a _Quirkless_ kid, needing a savior without a villain touching a hair on their head." Takakutou snarked, walking by Lumin and Yasashii's side. "The quirkless are all the same, they're either in the way or need protection. And you think you'll last in the heroics field?" She laughed, and the sound echoed around the hollow tunnels like the beating heart in Yasashii's chest. "You won't last a month _Quirkless._ "

Abruptly, Kuzu sensei approached Takakutou, placing a hand on her shoulder in warning. "Kid, don't start that shit. Not now." He growled lowly, and glared at Kutou as she appeared startled, slinking to the very back of their group once more.

  
  


Takakutou's words echoed around Yasashii's head as they pressed forward. They placed their hand against their bandaged side and tried to focus on the dark endless expanse of tunnel in front of them. Yasashii wasn't weak- they…. they weren't. 

  
  
  


Were they?

  
  
  
  
  


* * *

  
  


A few minutes of walking later, the sight of Kemuri wandering a hair's breadth from an electric train track had Yasashii frantically calling out, breaking their silence.

"Kemuri- the tracks!" Yasashii yelped, reaching over to gently yank Kemuri back by his shirt.

  
  


Kemuri stumbled, the haze that had clouded his eyes leaving as he regained his balance. Sighing with relief after realizing he was stable, he turned towards Yasashii with a strained smile. "Thank you. I- can't really see that well in the dark."

Yasashii nodded, their hand resting against their stinging bandages as to not jostle them. "I know what you mean, it seems like these tunnels go on forever."

They paused, hesitant. "You can hold my hand if you'd like to, Kemuri. Lumin glows, so it's easier to see where we're walking."

Kemuri nodded, unclenching his fists with a relieved glance in Yasashii's direction. "I'd appreciate it, Senshi. Thank you."

Yasashii smiled, offering their hand to Kemuri, which he gently took in his own. "It's no problem. I feel like sticking together throughout all this is important." Kemuri nodded, humming softly as Lumin began to trot happily forward, his tail wagging gently behind him. 

Aurora sensei had started to sing a wavering song that echoed around the tunnels along with a few hushed conversations between students. Many of their classmates looked exhausted, some of them- all of them looked shaken, some were worse than others.

Tamashi was talking softly to Hiyasu not far from Yasashii's Lumin. Every so often, he would glance back at Yasashii, as if they could've disappeared when he wasn't looking.

  
  


A small group had formed at the front, Tokachi held tightly onto Ogura and Gakusa, listening to Gakusa talk softly about anything that came to mind with an absent look in her eyes.

Tsuki's arm was in a makeshift sling that Hiyasu kept looking at nervously, and Koatsu had long since collapsed out of Quirk exhaustion. Had he not already been on a Lumin, perhaps a bigger commotion would have been made. Or maybe not, considering the tense lines on every teacher's face as they walked onwards.

  
  


It occurred to Yasashii that no one even knew if Lackadaisy-sensei was still alive.

  
  


They kept walking.

  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  


They were twenty minutes in when the first bombs began to go off, and they were twenty minutes in when Yasashii got the most injured they'd ever been in their lifetime.

The walls of the tunnel shook, violently rumbling to the sounds of explosions rupturing above them. Lumin skidded to a stop, growling at the ceiling where the explosions sounded. Kemuri, on the other hand, kept walking. 

"Wait-" Yasashii yelped, their feet dangling uselessly by Lumin's side as their body began to topple, set off balance by Lumin's sudden stop and Kemuri's continued movement. With a yell of fright, Yasashii fell onto the rocky ground below, landing directly on their shrapnel covered side.

Yasashii screamed.

  
  


The sharp cry echoed through the tunnel like the bombs going off overhead, with Tamashi and Hiyasu rushing over to Yasashii's side the moment the sound left their lips.

Yasashii heaved, their ears ringing as they kneeled over the rocky ground. Their side stung, it _burned_ far more fierce than anything they had ever felt before. In the back of their mind, Yasashii heard Moya apologize over and over. The rumbling stopped, and the ringing in Yasashii's ears faded into a dull throb. 

"What- What happened?" Came the muffled sound of Kuzu-sensei's voice. Yasashii opened their mouth to respond, but no sound came out. Their hands felt wet with blood.

"They- They fell." Kemuri swallowed, sounding shaken to his core.

"Wolfsboon-sensei, S-Senshi is really…" Hiyasu's voice quivered. She didn't finish her sentence. 

The bright light of a flashlight filled Yasashii's vision, leaving them squinting as it illuminated their bloodied bandages. The bandages felt wet beneath Yasashii's shaking fingers. Distantly, they felt their head begin to throb. How much blood had they lost?

Kuzu-sensei cursed, kneeling down next to Yasashii's level. 

  
  


Out of habit, Yasashii brushed him off. "I-It's fine-"

"They need care." Kuzu interrupted, turning to Buckskin. 

The vice principal's shadowed face painted a grim expression. "We can't stop now."

Kuzu frowned, his face pulled taught with concealed stress and worry. "If they don't get help in the next few hours-" Yasashii couldn't hear the rest, too busy focusing on their breathing. Their chest felt tight, like it had the days following their surgery, when they had needed to wear a binder until their scars had fully healed. Distantly, they heard Ogura speak up, only to be immediately shut down by Buckskin. There's a debate between the teachers and Ogura- she can teleport? Maybe. 

Yasashii felt their vision swim, and a glance at their bloodied bandages had them speaking up shakily, their voice cutting through the tension like a butter knife to cake. "Uh, hi." Several heads turned to face them, and Yasashii swallowed past the iron-tasting lump in their throat. "So um, my bandages are soaked, and I don't think they're supposed to be? I uh, definitely didn't land in any water, so it's… probably blood. And my mouth tastes like iron? Is that a bad thing?" 

There was a tense pause, making Yasashii feel like they had said something wrong, before Buckskin turned toward Ogura, several emotions flashing through his eyes in the poor lighting of the tunnel. "Ogura, can you move Senshi to safety?"

"Yes." Ogura's accented voice carried through the tunnel, her expression unflinching in the silence that followed. Kuzu-sensei moved his phone's flashlight over Yasashii's bandages once more, and a look of finality crossed Buckskin's face. 

"Someone needs to go with them." Buckskin glanced at the staff.

"I'll go." Kuzu's reply was instant.

"You need to stay with the group." Unbreakable's voice echoed from the far front of the group as they walked forward, nodding to Buckskin. "I'll go."

"I-"

"Kuzu, they're right." Aurora gave Kuzu-sensei a meaningful look. His jaw clenched, plunging the group into a thick silence once more before he raised his eyes to meet Ogura's. “Don’t be stupid. Listen to what they tell you. If I hear anything about recklessness, I’ll have you in detention for the rest of the fucking year- am I clear?”

"Crystal." Ogura nodded, following after him as Kuzu-sensei turned toward Yasashii, gently lifting them back onto Lumin with the help of Unbreakable.

  
  


Yasashii shifted in place, one hand gripping onto Lumin's side while their other was left pressing firmly against their bandaged wound. Focusing on their pained breathing, Yasashii turned to face Ogura.

"How does this work?" They asked, taking deep breaths to a slow count in their head.

Ogura placed her left hand on Yasashii's sleeve, and gently held onto Unbreakable with her right. "Just hold on, you might get sick."

Yasashii nodded, holding onto Lumin tightly. Right before clouds of blackish gray smoke consumed them, they caught a glimpse of Tamashi shaking with Yasashii's blood on his shirt. Hiyasu was stiff, her movements slowed. It occurred to Yasashii, as they got teleported away about a quarter mile ahead, that their friends may not be the same after this.

They blink, and then they're gone.

  
  
  


Yasashii opened their eyes to find themself disoriented and dizzy in a darkened tunnel. Unbreakable cursed under their breath, before they quickly rightened themself and turned to face Ogura and Yasashii. “You kids okay?” They asked, using their phone’s flashlight to light up their surroundings. Yasashii nodded, placing a hand over their eyes gently to keep their dizziness at bay.

“I can go again.” Ogura replied, her voice unusually loud in the breathy silence of the tunnel. Unbreakable shook their head. “You should save your strength Ogura. We’ll walk, once we get a decent distance away you can use your powers again.” 

Ogura huffed, but didn’t disagree. With a brief glance at Yasashii, Unbreakable turned toward the pitch black tunnel in front of them and began to walk.

Lumin boofed softly, and followed after them, padding along the tunnel floor with Yasashii on his back. Yasashii ruffled the leaves that acted as Lumin’s fur and took a deep breath. 

  
  


This was going to be a long walk.

  
  
  


* * *

  
  
  


“We can take a break here.” Unbreakable called out with a huff, gently sitting down on the rocky floor to rest their legs. Ogura nodded, sagging onto the floor as she caught her breath. 

Lumin knelt down on the ground, panting happily as Yasashii shuffled off of his back and onto the ground. As comfortable as Lumin was to ride on, Yasashii’s legs had begun to ache during the jostling movement of Lumin traveling over the rocky ground below.

“How far do you think these tunnels go?” Yasashii asked, blinking past their headache. Ogura shrugged, gently holding her bruised tail. “About thirty miles. We will get there a few hours early.” She replied, blunt and to the point. Yasashii shifted in place, nodding. 

Ogura wasn’t one for small talk, that much had become painfully obvious during their walk. Originally, Yasashii had been too out of it to notice, their blood loss having made them too light headed to focus on anything other than staying on top of Lumin’s back. After half an hour of walking with still no sounds other than Lumin’s happy panting and the shuffle of their feet, Yasashii realized that no one had spoken a word since their first teleportation. 

The awkward tension that followed the group was difficult to bear, but for the life of them, Yasashii had no idea what to say that might’ve been able to break it.

Yasashii leaned against Lumin, gently rubbing their hands against their pants in an attempt to get the dried blood off. 

“How did you learn you could teleport?” Yasashii asked, painfully aware of the silence that surrounded them like the tunnel walls on either side. “Did you learn right away? Or um, was it a delayed ability?” Yasashii winced at their own phrasing. They were not the best at social situations, oh gods. 

Ogura glanced at them, raising an eyebrow slightly. “I fell off roof.” Her reply was coated in a thick accent. Or maybe Yasashii just couldn’t hear her properly? Either way, Yasashii’s eyes widened in shock. She fell off a roof at four years old? 

“You fell off a roof?! Were you alright?” They asked, turning to face Ogura fully. She shook her head, rewrapping bandages around her tail. “No, I hit head when on ground.”

Yasashii blinked, concern etched across their face. “That sounds awful. Did you have to go to the hospital? How did you learn to control it?” Ogura seemed unbothered, finishing her bandage wraps as she shook her head once more. “No, went to clinic. I practiced.”

Yasashii nodded in understanding. When they were little and didn’t have enough funds for hospital visits, they’d often have to stop by a clinic to treat their own wounds. “Hospital visits are expensive, I can see why you’d head to a clinic instead.”

Ogura raised an eyebrow, and Yasashii blinked, worried they might’ve said something wrong when Unbreakable broke the silence once more.

“We should get moving. Are you ready for another jump?” They asked, turning towards Ogura who nodded, standing up with a quick stretch. 

Yasashii shakily crawled onto Lumin’s back, grabbing onto his scruff as he stood to his full height with a muffled bark. Ogura carefully grabbed onto their sleeve, doing the same for Unbreakable before a cloud of blackish gray smoke surrounded them once more.

Yasashii blinked, and they were gone.

  
  
  
  


* * *

  
  
  


They had been walking for hours, an endless stretch of pitch black tunnel lay before them as they walked and rested and jumped over and over again. Yasashii’s headache had long since worsened, a steady throb in the back of their mind as they tried to find anything to talk about or distract themself with that wasn’t the walls that seemed to close in on them as they walked and walked and walked.

Unbreakable had tried offering bits of small talk here and there, but they seemed too focused on the mission at hand to ask much more than feeble small talk that fell flat at Ogura’s dry responses. Yasashii hummed, trying their best to stay awake. Falling asleep when you’re low on blood was bad. Or at least they thought it was.

As Lumin trotted onward, Yasashii turned toward Ogura, trying to keep their mind distracted. “Ogura?” She turned around, raising an eyebrow wordlessly. “What’s your favorite food?”

Ogura blinked, and if Yasashii’s head didn’t hurt they would’ve bonked themself on the forehead- what kind of question was that?

“Russian Vinaigrette.” 

Yasashii paused, blinking. “That’s an interesting choice. For some reason I was expecting something like shiokara. Do you like Russian foods?”

Ogura nodded slowly, staring at Yasashii like they had grown a second head. “I was raised in Russia.”

Yasashii blinked, wobbling on Lumin’s back for a moment before they turned back around to face Ogura. “You lived in Russia? I thought you were Japanese!” 

Ogura stared at them with an unreadable expression. Yasashii shifted nervously. “Did I say something wrong?”

To Yasashii’s disbelief, a small smile broke out on Ogura’s face. “I- Senshi. I’m Russian.” They blinked, suddenly very aware of the heavy accent Ogura spoke with daily, and how sometimes she would speak a forgein language and Tokachi would chide her for something and- okay so maybe this was obvious. 

Yasashii laughed sheepishly, rubbing the back of their neck. “I thought for sure you were fully Japanese.”

Ogura chuckled, and just like that Yasashii felt a wave of relief wash over them. “I have- accent?” 

Yasashii waved their hand in front of their face, embarrassed. “I thought it was because of your fangs? I’ve had classmates who speak differently because of their teeth and I didnt want to assume?”

Ogura covered her mouth, hiding her smile with her hand. “I? Speak Russian sometimes?” Yasashii sunk lower into Lumin’s leafy scruff, fully embarrassed. “I thought- oh man It’s really obvious now, huh. I thought you and Tokachi had made up a new language? I’ve never heard Russian spoken aloud before!”

There was no hiding Ogura’s smile now, and it felt to Yasashii like an invisible wall had been lowered. The tense silence didn’t feel as oppressing as it had before, and if they had spared a glance at Unbreakable, they would’ve found them smiling along with them.

  
  


The rest of the walk wasn’t as bad as it could’ve been.

  
  
  
  
  
  


* * *

  
  


After several hours of walking, and many many rest stops, Unbreakable motioned to Ogura. They looked exhausted, and yet they remained on their feet. “Could you handle one last jump? We could walk it if necessary, I don’t want you to overexert yourself if you don’t think you could make it.”

Ogura nodded, though she looked thoroughly worn out. Going through with so many teleportations in a row had taken a toll on her, so much so that she had taken a nap on top of Lumin behind Yasashii a few hours prior.

Unbreakable stepped closer to Lumin, and Ogura gently grasped at their sleeve before hesitantly reaching for Yasashii’s hand. Black smoke filled their vision, and when Yasashii opened their eyes, they found themself squinting at the onslaught of light hitting them all at once.

  
  


The sun had begun to set over the horizon, creating a sunset filled with vibrant colors. Light surrounded them- however dim it might have been, and Yasashii let out a deep sigh of relief. They could _see_ , even if they were disoriented and close to throwing up- they could _see._

Lumin let out a happy boof, trotting over to the large bus parked nearby. Gently, he knelt down, allowing Ogura and Yasashii to stumble off of his back. Ogura clutched her side, appearing nauseous and exhausted but otherwise unharmed.

Yasashii leaned against the bus’s cool metal frame, their throat aching from dehydration and their headache pounding mercilessly. They were covered in dirt from the tunnel floor, and their hands were raw and cut from pieces of sharnel they couldn’t avoid. But at least they were outside again.

Unbreakable lowered the hand they had pressed against their forehead, quickly pulling out their phone. “I’m going to call an ambulance. You two stay pu-”

Yasashii felt their stomach drop, their frazzled thoughts refocusing in an instant. “You can’t!” They interrupted, swallowing past the lump in their throat when Unbreakable looked at them in confusion. Glancing at Ogura nervously, Yasashii lowered their head, avoiding eye-contact. “I-I can’t afford it. I can just- bandage myself in the bus.”

Unbreakable stared at them, their eyes filled with an emotion Yasashii couldn’t name as they knelt down to ruffle Yasashii’s hair gently. “Don’t be dumb kid, if Taiyuu won’t pay your bills then I will.“

Yasashii blinked, feeling tears well up in their eyes. “Oh.” They replied, wobbling on their feet. It didn’t feel real. “Why?”

Unbreakable made an odd sound in the back of their throat before gently ruffling Yasashii’s hair once more, as if they could ruffle away the troubles plaguing their mind. “It’s what heroes are for kid.”

Yasashii rubbed at their eyes, nodding. It was so strange, that their teachers seemed to care so much.

"I'm calling an ambulance." Unbreakable said, nodding to Yasashii as they pulled out their phone. "Ogura, you'll come with us to the hospital until Senshi has been cleared to go."

"I can stay at the bus." Ogura replied, leaning against the cool metal of the bus's side. Ever since a few hours had passed in their walk through the tunnels, Ogura's accent had grown thicker as she grew more exhausted. Even now, Yasashii had to focus to pick out what she was saying.

Unbreakable shook their head. "Kid there's no way I'm letting you stay by yourself after all that's happened."

"I can take care of myself." Ogura rose an eyebrow, her voice a mix of certainty and confusion. Unbreakable looked like they wanted to ruffle her hair, but seemed to decide against it at the last minute. "I never said ya couldn't Ogura. But I'm not gonna leave a kid behind here."

With that, Unbreakable pulled out their phone and dialed emergency services, leaving Ogura and Yasashii with similar looks of bewilderment on their faces. 

  
  
  


A few minutes later an ambulance arrived and all three of them were rushed to a local hospital with a shrunken Lumin sitting worriedly by Yasashii's side.

Ogura was looking out the window, watching the bus fade out of view, and Yasashii remembered how she had seemed surprised by Unbreakable's insistence at her presence in the ambulance.

As nurses attached IVs to Yasashii's arms, they wondered if adults caring for Ogura was a new experience for her too.

Before they could expand on that thought any further, the hospital pulled into view and Yasashii was rolled inside on a stretcher, doctors crowding around them as their bandages were unwrapped from their chest.

They heard something about surgery, and then all Yasashii knew was black.

  
  
  
  
  


* * *

  
  
  


"With the help of our staff's healing quirks we managed to speed up young Senshi's recovery greatly. They should be good to go within the next twenty minutes or so- though _please_ ease up on any physical activity for the next few weeks." Doctor Yuuta explained, turning towards Yasashii with a stern look in his eyes. "Your stitches have only _mostly_ healed, I know how you hero types work, you want to be back in action as soon as possible. But please just- try not to reopen them."

Yasashii nodded wordlessly, gulping eagerly at the box of apple juice a nurse had given them. 

"I'll send word that we're good to go. Thank you for taking care of us so quickly, Doctor Yuuta." Unbreakable replied, causing him to wave them off with a flick of his hand. 

"Oh it's no trouble. You're a bit of a celebrity around these parts Unbreakable, we're just glad you got here before it got infected. Senshi here was scarily close to losing a dangerous amount of blood, they gave us quite the scare."

Yasashii zoned out, focusing on their juice pouch and the odd texture of the bandages covering their palms and torso. Their hoodie was totaled- so they had to borrow some clothes that a nurse had given them after checking in. They weren't too bad for hospital clothes- though they were definitely a size too big.

"So, are you kids ready to go?" Unbreakable asked, interrupting Yasashii in their thoughts. They nodded, watching Ogura do the same in the corner of their vision. Unbreakable hummed, glancing at their phone. "If we head back to the buses we'd have about twenty minutes give or take before the rest of the students arrive. Or, we could book a taxi straight to UA."

"We're going to UA?" Yasashii asked, blinking in surprise. 

Unbreakable nodded. "Yep! Looks like Buckskin and Lackadaisy called in a favor with the principal."

Yasashii's head spun. _Eraserhead_ was the principal of UA. They could _meet_ The Eraserhead. A thought occurred to them, making Yasashii pause before they could get ahead of themself. Tamashi, Hiyasu, Keymuri- they had looked devastated when Yasashii fell off of Lumin's back. They must be beyond worried, and Yasashii didn't want to make them worry any more than they had to.

Turning towards Ogura, Yasashii felt themself fiddle with their bandages anxiously. "Would you mind if we go back to the bus? I'd like to make sure my friends are okay."

Ogura tilted her head in a silent question and nodded, making a small smile break out on Yasashii's face. "Thank you Ogura."

Ogura nodded, and Yasashii turned to Unbreakable with a quiet hum. "Can I get something for the students in the tunnels before we leave? They must be exhausted after such a long walk."

Unbreakable tilted their head, curious. "Sure kid, what did you have in mind?"

  
  


Yasashii looked at their empty apple juice and rubbed the back of their neck sheepishly. "Well…"

  
  
  


* * *

  
  
  


Yasashii gently opened their jello cup, being careful not to aggravate the cuts on their hands. To their great relief, the nurses were happy to give them a few bags of water bottles and jello cups to spread across their friends and classmates, even going so far as to give them a few extra for the staff.

Ogura sat next to Yasashii at the back of the taxi as Unbreakable called the school to let them know that they were headed back to the buses. Lumin sat in Yasashii's lap, about the size of a beagle.

  
  


Yasashii dipped their plastic spoon into their jello, quickly scooping the slippery treat into their mouth. The jello reminded them of simpler times. Of meeting a blonde boy in a hospital with Tamashi and playing pranks on the poor nurse's with bed sheets as they stole sugary treats from the cafeteria. 

They glanced at Ogura, who was quietly eating a jello cup of her own, and briefly remembered her own friendship with Gakusa, who had slowly fallen out of touch with Yasashii and Tamashi over the years.

"You know," Yasashii began quietly, glancing down at Lumin when Ogura looked in their direction. "I first met Gakusa at a hospital just like that one. We were kids- and it was years ago, so I'm not even sure if he remembers it. But we stole jello cups from the nurses, and somehow convinced them that the hospital was haunted? Gakusa made a whole show of stealing as many jello cups as he could before he got released."

Ogura's lip switched upwards. "Chicken Boy did what?"

Yasashii laughed softly, taking another bite of jello to hide their smile. "We cut holes out of sheets and pretended we were ghosts. Gakusa was… really convincing in his retellings of how 'the ghost burst into his room while he slept'. I'm honestly quite surprised that the nurses bought it. Did you know he made a shrine to 'appease the ghost' haunting the room? He left jello offerings and everything, Tamashi and I were very impressed with his dedication."

"Incredible." Ogura replied in a deadpan voice. She turned to face Yasashii fully, taking a bite of her own jello. "Tell me more."

Yasashii smiled, gently placing their jello cup onto the tray at their side. "If I tell you more hospital stories, could you tell me why you call Gakusa 'Chicken Boy'?"

Ogura blinked. "Because he's a coward and he complained about stupid dino nuggets."

Yasashii nearly choked on their jello.

"He complained about dinosaur chicken nuggets?" They asked, too caught off guard to filter their reaction. "Those are the best kind of chicken nuggets though? They're shaped like dinosaurs, why would he not like them?"

  
  


Ogura nodded, acting as if Yasashii's logic was completely sound and Gakusa's preference of chicken nuggets was the greatest crime of them all. "Because he is Chicken Boy and a child."

Yasashii nodded, deciding to trust Ogura's judgement. "Fair enough. Did you know that Gakusa convinced Tamashi to cut out holes in his sheets and wear it over his head? He pulled off the cartoon ghost look really well."

Ogura blinked, quiet for a moment. "Who's Tamashi?"

"Oh! Um-" Yasashii fumbled, rubbing at the back of their neck sheepishly. "He's in our class- purple hair, a ghost quirk? He usually eats with me at lunch."

"Ah, Seishin." Ogura nodded, and suddenly it felt like Yasashii had made a friend.

The rest of the taxi ride was spent exchanging stories of friends and childhood tales to the odd rumble of the car's engine. It felt nice, to have something normal to talk about.

  
  
  


* * *

  
  
  


They arrived at the bus twenty minutes before their classmates walked out of the tunnels. Yasashii spent those twenty minutes with Lumin curled around them and Ogura asleep at their side in the back of the school bus. Their surgery combined with the villain attack, walk through the tunnels, and training exercise had exhausted them, and it was starting to show, and not just in Yasashii.

It was Unbreakable who gently shook Yasashii awake, softly explaining that they had just gotten word from Buckskin. The students were less than five minutes away.

"Ogura, our friends are coming." Yasashii yawned, gently shaking their mumbly friend awake. "Mh." Ogura replied, rubbing at her eyes as she sat up to squint through the harsh rays of the bus' lights.

The sun had long since fallen over the horizon, encasing the outside world in the darkness of nightfall. It must have been close to ten o'clock at the earliest- possibly later if the weight of Yasashii's eyelids were anything to go by.

Stretching their legs, Yasashii stood up from their warm seat, eyeing the bags full of jello cups and water bottles on the seat in front of them. "We should probably go greet them. Or at least move towards the front of the bus."

Ogura nodded, standing up with a brief stretch as she followed Yasashii towards the front of the bus. Lumin happily let out a quiet boof, following Ogura's steps closely.

  
  
  


It didn't take long for their classmates to arrive, trudging forward with their feet dragging in the dirt behind them. All of them looked exhausted, and Spellman appeared to have gotten a new form while many of their peers leaned against each other for support.

  
  


"Yashii!" Tamashi cried, almost tripping over his own feet to squeeze Yasashii into a hug. Hiyasu was right at his heels, looking just as worried as her friend.

"Timtam!" Yasashii gasped, gently hugging Tamashi in return. "I'm okay, I'm alright. You don't have to worry anymore."

"Y-Yashii." Tamashi replied, looking Yasashii over with frantic tear filled eyes. "I-I thought you were going to die."

"I'm okay, I didn't die." Yasashii replied, rubbing soothing circles into Tamashi's back. "I'm alright."

"S-Senshi we were s-so worried about you." Hiyasu cried, hesitantly reaching her hand out like she wanted to make sure they were real. "Y-You were c-covered in blood. W-We were covered in your blood..."

"W-We we so worried Yashii." Tamashi gasped, and once again Yasashii was hit with the thought that they could have died today. Their friends could have seen them for the last time in that dark tunnel and they wouldn't have known about it until it was too late.

_'I thought you were going to die'_ ran through Yasashii's head, and they swallowed past a sudden lump in their throat, holding onto Tamashi tighter.

"I'm okay now." They replied, gently rubbing Tamashi's back in soothing motions as they watched their classmates wipe dirt from their clothes and tears from their eyes behind him. "I'm okay."

Tamashi sobbed, and a bad feeling curled its way inside Yasashii's gut.

  
  


_'I thought you were going to die.'_

  
  
  
  


* * *

  
  
  
  
  


"Senshi I am _so sorry._ " Keymuri said, his arms slightly shaking by his sides.

"It's alright Kemuri, it was an accident." Yasashii frowned, handing him a jello cup and a bottle of water. Kemuri made a noise in the back of his throat, his expression twisting into an emotion Yasashii couldn't quite name.

"You got hurt because of me." He said, like that was all that mattered. "I-I'm sorry."

"I forgive you." Yasashii replied, their brows creasing with worry. "But Kemuri, you didn't mean to do it."

Kemuri shook his head, walking further into the bus. His frame reeked with tension as he stuffed his hands into his pockets. "Doesn't matter if I didn't mean to do it Shii, I'm still the reason it happened."

Yasashii's gaze followed Kemuri as he walked further into the bus. The pit in Yasashii's stomach only grew deeper.

  
  
  


* * *

  
  


Yasashii sat next to Grigori on the bus ride to UA. Grigori was nice, and they were willing to quietly exchange stories with Yasashii during the ride. It was hard to not notice the exhaustion and tension coating both classes like a thick blanket, but they did their best.

An attempt was made at an Uno game towards the back of the bus, though it was eventually put down in favor of consoling Zoe, who had begun to experience panicked breathing resembling a panic attack.

Tokachi wasn't faring well. Even when Yasashii had last seen her in the tunnels she had been dissociating, focusing on Gakusa's rambling and nothing more. Ogura sat at Tokachi's other side, looking about as concerned as Yasashii had ever seen her while also being five seconds away from falling asleep on the window. Gakusa continued his quiet mumbling, exhaustion seeping into his words as the bus drove onward.

  
  


Kuzu-sensei sat on the seat across from Yasashii, quietly asking after their wounds. Yasashii explained what had happened at the hospital, how they had needed surgery and would have to take it easy during physical activities for the next week or so, to which Kuzu-sensei had nodded, his eyes briefly lowering to Yasashii's bandages in concern before he faced the front once more.

Grigori had fallen asleep on Yasashii's shoulder, leaving them to wonder how their class would recover from this attack when everyone looked so… damaged.

  
  


In the middle of the bus, Takakutou sat alone, dead silent for the entire trip. Her face looked clouded over, emotions and thoughts that she couldn't process racing across her face. Yasashii glanced at her out of the corner of their eyes, her words flashing through their head once more as the bus pulled into UA's front gates.

' _Typical of a weak Quirkless kid, you won't even last a month.'_

  
  
  


* * *

  
  
  


After being shown to their dorms for the night, an attempt was made at a class sleepover in the common room. Many people passed, choosing instead to sleep in their individual dorms. It was...difficult to keep up a good atmosphere, after what had happened that day.

Tokachi had said something to Tamashi- or maybe she hadn't needed to. Maybe Tamashi had just known, when Tokachi turned down the invitation to join the sleepover to head upstairs with Ogura. It had sent Tamashi crumbling, knowing that she didn't reciprocate his feelings. Yasashii did their best to comfort him, trying to figure out why their heart was so _conflicted_ when Tamashi talked about his crush.

It left them both reeling, quietly talking on the kitchen floor as several of their classmates began singing a song from some American musical, the sad undertone of notes feeling fitting for their position. 

To combat this sadness, Yasashii and Tamashi made more cotton candy cookies with the ingredients in the kitchen, even talking with Gakusa about aimless things until they drifted off to sleep. Yasashii's chest _hurt_ , and for the first time that day it wasn't from their wounds.

  
  
  
  


Yasashii woke up at four AM to a panic attack built up in their lungs. They scrambled out of their blankets, stepping over their sleeping classmates so that they could get up- get _out._

They needed fresh air.

  
  


Padding over to the staircase, Yasashii climbed up and up and up until they numbly pushed the doors to the rooftop open. A gust of cold air brushed against their face, and Yasashii walked to the rooftop's edge, where they sat down on the cold cement ground and finally- _finally_ broke down.

  
  


The day's events flashed through Yasashii's mind like a cheap movie reel, causing their breath to hitch in their throat as they curled tightly around themself, trying to keep their emotions at bay.

Yasashii had gotten _surgery_ today. Villains had attacked their school, _shrapnel_ had been embedded into their side, Takakutou had told them- and Tamashi was in love with-

A sob caught in Yasashii's throat, tears finally spilling down their face as their heart beat steadily faster in their chest. Their thoughts were scrambled in their mind, the grip of their panic attack at its peak.

They didn't have the money to pay for hospital bills, they didn't have the money to pay for higher tuition, they didn't have the money to do _anything_ and now Yasashii would be late to their job and wouldn't get paid until next week and-

Yasashii's panicked breathing increased, their chest ached with its need of _air_ as their sides throbbed with the bruises from almost _dying-_

  
  


"Kid?" Wolfsboon- Kuzu-sensei's voice quietly reached Yasashii's ears, and they startled, curling around themself so their teacher couldn't see what a mess- what a quirkless weakling they were.

"Shit kid, are you alright?" Wolfsboon padded up to Yasashii's side, kneeling next to them as they tried to control their breathing. "I'm fine." They croaked, wiping at their eyes with their new hoodie's sleeve.

Kuzu gave them a disbelieving look. "You don't look fine." He raised a hand to gently pat Yasashii on the back, which only caused more tears to flow from their eyes. Kuzu-sensei looked frozen through Yasashii's blurry tears, like he didn't quite know what to do.

"This-" Yasashii gasped, trying to breathe clearly so they could talk this out. "This is why I'm- so _confused,_ sensei. Teachers don't- they don't care about how I'm doing. So why-" Yasashii buried their face in their hands, wiping away their tears. "Why do you _care_ so much?"

Kuzu-sensei made a sad noise in the back of his throat, gently rubbing Yasashii's back in soothing circles. "It's my job. And you-" He paused, an emotion passing over his face that Yasashii couldn't name. "You had really shitty teachers, kid."

Yasashii let out a dry humorless laugh. "I know I did. I just thought- that it was normal. That I deserved it, for being Quirkless."

"You didn't." Kuzu replied, his gruff voice ringing out across the rooftop. "Kid that's blatant quirk discrimination, they should be sued for that kind of treatment."

Yasashii shook their head, a bitter smile on their face. "I couldn't afford it. I can barely afford getting new clothes for myself and my sister, sensei, much less a lawyer. Plus my parents-" Yasashii froze, paling. "Drawing attention to myself would be bad. My mother would know the minute it hit the news." 

Kuzu paused, looking at Yasashii in concern. "Your parents?"

Yasashii lowered their head, looking out at UA's campus as the sun lit the morning sky in a grayish blue haze. Shifting nervously in place, they quietly began to tell their teacher about the Senshis, about quirk marriages, and about the punishments for being Quirkless. 

  
  
  


When Yasashii left that rooftop to get tea before the rest of their classmates woke up, Kuzu's fists were clenched at his sides, his expression a war of emotions that were far too complex for Yasashii to name.

When Yasashii arrived in the common room Ogura was at the kichen's countertop, a cup already in her hands. It turned out she had money troubles too. 

Maybe they were more similar than they had thought.

* * *

  
  
  


On any other day Yasashii would have been elated to have Eraserhead as their teacher. But as their sore and unusually quiet classmates walked inside gym gamma, Yasashii couldn't help but feel a cold pit of dread enter their stomach.

"Today we'll be doing light sparring. When your opponent taps the mat, the match is over. Your partners have already been decided-" Eraserhead was cut off by an outcry of indignation among one of Yasashii's classmates.

"You want us to _fight each other?!"_ Tokachi called out, outraged. "The day after a villain attack?"

A murmur spread out among the students, and the pit in Yasashii's stomach grew. Their teachers tried to calm the students down, but Yasashii's mind was stuck in a loop, replaying the events of the day before over and over in their head. 

_When did it go so wrong?_

  
  
  
  
  
  


Yasashii fought Grigori Vai, the nice classmate who had fallen asleep on their shoulder on the bus ride to UA the night before.

The fight felt like it lasted hours, the tense atmosphere of the gym not helping ease their nerves. Several teachers were raising their voices. Apparently Tokachi and Kemuri had refused to fight.

Yasashii won, just barely, and entirely because Grigori had a strange look in their eyes. Like they were witnessing the fall of the first domino to something big. It felt like a hollow victory when Kemuri announced he would be dropping out of Taiyuu shortly after he called home.

Yasashii clenched their fists, standing alone in their hero costume as classmate after classmate did the same. It felt suffocating- they had gotten exactly what they had wanted. A chance to become a hero, just like they had always dreamed. So why did they feel so broken? So… alone.

Yasashii helped Grigori up off the mat, and felt a pang of something they couldn't name fill their chest.

  
  
  


At least they still had Tamashi, right? 

  
  


* * *

  
  
  


It wasn't long before Tokachi announced that she would be leaving Taiyuu with Gakusa at her heels. It seemed like wherever one went, the other would follow.

Yasashii found Tamashi shortly after the announcement. When Tamashi caught sight of Yasashii he wrapped them in a hug with tears in his eyes. 

"I can't stay here Yashii." He cried, clutching the back of Yasashii's hoodie in his hand. "I'm so sorry Yashii but I can't do this anymore."

Yasashii felt tears begin to fall down their cheeks, clinging onto Tamashi like a lifeline they knew they were about to lose. "Why? I-I thought it was your dream, to become a hero." Yasashii asked softly, their voice cracking with the emotion they felt spilling over inside of them.

" _They made you fight Yashii."_ Tamashi replied, and for once there wasn't a stutter in his usually shaky voice. "You had surgery _yesterday_ , and they still made you fight. You nearly _died._ " Tamashi's voice broke, and they clung onto Yasashii with a sob.

Desperately, he looked into Yasashii's eyes. "Come with me Yashii, _please._ We can- we can find a new hero school, where this won't ever happen again."

Yasashii felt their heart break, tears falling down their face freely. "I can't." They croaked, wiping away Tamashi's tears with their thumb. "I'm here on a scholarship Tamashi. I couldn't afford to switch schools, you know that."

"T-Then we can find the money some other way." Tamashi replied, his hands on either side of Yasashii's face. "M-My parents could help-"

Yasashii shook their head, a bitter smile on their face. "You know I couldn't ask that of them Timtam."

Tamashi made a distraught sound in the back of his throat, looking beyond conflicted and just as sad as Yasashii was. "I-I'll call you. Every day, okay Yashii? I will."

Yasashii nodded. "I know you will." They brushed the hair away from Tamashi's face, and then Tamashi turned around, and he was gone.

  
  
  
  
  
  


Yasashii had wanted to be a hero for as long as they could remember. They had never had many friends, too busy keeping Kochona alive and well as they saved up for years at a time, putting a little money away in a safe place each time they came home from one of their after school jobs. Tamashi had slowly been incorporated into that dream ever since they'd met as kids in that fated community center an early August morning.

As Yasashii sat alone in their dorm's common room, the room empty of Gakusa's playful teasing and the high-pitched laughter of their friends, Yasashii wondered if this was really what they had wanted.

Being a hero meant the world to them, and yet… Yasashii's dream had never felt so lonely before.

**Author's Note:**

> If you enjoyed my writing please let me know in the comments below! I thrive off of yalls feedback


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